Criticism mounting for Vikings, Adrian Peterson

JON KRAWCZYNSKIAP Sports Writer

Published
6:45 am EDT, Wednesday, September 17, 2014

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Criticism mounting for Vikings, Adrian Peterson

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MINNEAPOLIS -- For as long as he has been in the NFL, Adrian Peterson has been one of the most popular and marketable stars in the league, an approachable superstar with the kind of inspirational comeback story that made him an endorser's dream.

Now that he is facing a felony charge of child abuse for spanking his 4-year-old son with a wooden switch, the Minnesota running back is in the middle of a firestorm the likes of which he has never seen before, and several high-profile sponsors are starting to distance themselves while the controversy envelopes a league in crisis.

In the wake of the Vikings' decision to allow Peterson to play while the legal process plays out in Texas, the Radisson hotel chain has suspended its relationship with the Vikings, Special Olympics Minnesota and Mylan Inc. severed ties with Peterson and Nike stores in the Twin Cities have stopped selling merchandise with his name on it.

And Peterson's All Day Foundation, which has been devoted to helping children, put up and took down a series of statements on its website before shutting it down, including one that said it "will re-engage after Adrian, his family, and staff have reflected on how the current situation impacts the direction for Adrian's philanthropy."

"It is an awful situation," said Gov. Mark Dayton, who spearheaded an effort to secure $477 million in public funding for a stadium that is being built downtown. "Yes, Mr. Peterson is entitled to due process and should be 'innocent until proven guilty.' However, he is a public figure; and his actions, as described, are a public embarrassment to the Vikings organization and the State of Minnesota. Whipping a child to the extent of visible wounds, as has been alleged, should not be tolerated in our state. Therefore, I believe the team should suspend Mr. Peterson, until the accusations of child abuse have been resolved by the criminal justice system."

Vikings owners Zygi and Mark Wilf sat Peterson for the 30-7 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday while they tried to gather more information about the case. After reviewing files, speaking to Peterson, his attorney and authorities, the Wilfs decided to reinstate Peterson and he plans to play this weekend at New Orleans.

On a day when Anheuser-Busch said it was "disappointed and increasingly concerned" with the negative attention brought to the league by Ray Rice's assault on his wife and Peterson's treatment of his son, Nike pulled Peterson jerseys from its stores at the Mall of America in Bloomington and in outlet malls in Eagan and Albertville. Nike still sells the jerseys and features Peterson on its website.

Mylan said it was no longer working with Peterson to promote its EpiPen, used to treat allergic reactions. The running back had participated in several promotions to raise awareness for anaphylaxis, which he has dealt with in the past.

U.S. Bank, which is rumored to be in the running for the naming rights to the team's new stadium, said it is "monitoring the situation closely."

So is Shaun Hagglund, the owner of Fan HQ in suburban Minneapolis. He said he pulled Peterson apparel from the store's shelves as soon as the charge came down Friday night.

"I'm not making a moral stand or a judgment," Hagglund said. "Just for now, let's see what comes of this and see what stories are true and which ones are not and take it from there."

Wheaties has pulled the last of the Peterson mentions from its website, but General Mills spokesman Mike Siemienas said that was because of a contractual matter and not related to the child abuse charge. Siemienas said most of the Peterson material was removed months ago as the brand shifted to a new promotion with younger and up-and-coming athletes.

Other sponsors were still standing behind the Vikings and Peterson, including Verizon Wireless.

"We are supportive of the NFL and, at this point, we are satisfied with our sponsorship of the Minnesota Vikings," Verizon said in a statement to The Associated Press. "In fact, for the past several years we have collaborated with the Vikings on several programs to raise awareness of the impact of domestic violence, an issue Verizon has had a long-standing commitment to."

Peterson has not spoken to reporters since his arrest, but he did issue a statement through his agency on Monday that in part addressed the negative attention that his situation has received.

"I never wanted to be a distraction to the Vikings organization, the Minnesota community or to my teammates," Peterson said. "I never imagined being in a position where the world is judging my parenting skills or calling me a child abuser because of the discipline I administered to my son."

The Vikings canceled a scheduled visit from six players, not including Peterson, to St. Joseph's Home for Children.

Seeing Peterson, a player who has worked tirelessly in the community and been the face of the franchise practically since he arrived in Minnesota in 2007, put in the public crosshairs was just as jarring to some of his teammates.

"The Adrian I know does a lot of stuff for charity. He's raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for special needs children, brings kids up here from Texas, gives them a dream and something to shoot for," fullback Jerome Felton said. "Brings kids from the inner cities, takes them to Dick's Sporting Goods and spends thousands of dollars of his own money. So that's the guy I know and I'm glad to have him back on the team."

AP Technology Writer Mae Anderson in New York and Associated Press Writer Brian Bakst in St. Paul, Minnesota, contributed to this report.